LNG: TESLARATI

A Tesla Model Y prototype was spotted on a snowy portion of the Donner Pass in Northeastern California. The car was navigating with relative ease through the unpleasant road conditions during the nighttime.

Reddit user and Tesla owner Christopher Radoff spotted the Model Y after his wife had given him a heads up that a fellow Tesla was traveling in front of them. He initially thought it was a Model X SUV, but he quickly came to realize that it was not the case. “Yeah, my wife realized it was a Tesla before me. I had figured it was too tall and did not have X tail lights. Once, she said it was a Tesla it clicked for me and I was like, ‘quick get the camera’,” Radoff said on Reddit.

It seems that this vehicle was likely an All-Wheel Drive variant that is recommended for navigating in rough terrain. This includes excessive snowfall. While Tesla vehicles in the past have shown their ability to drive through large collections of rainwater and excessive snow on the road, the Model Y seems to be showing the same ability ahead of its initial productions and deliveries.

While the All-Wheel Drive trim is ideal for traveling in snow, Tesla’s vehicles have performed well in the past in snowy conditions. Tesla also released a “Winter Protection Kit” for drivers in regions where winters were harsher. This kit was free to Model 3 owners and featured mudflaps to protect the paint from road salt and improve performance in snowy weather.

The Model Y has been the talk of many Tesla enthusiasts since its first sighting outside the company’s Fremont factory in early 2019. While the car has been tested in real-world and track settings as of late, it seems Tesla is beginning to make its final adjustments to the Model Y.

A compilation of every Model Y sighting was recently compiled by Tesla enthusiast Ryan Shaw. The video shows the Model Y in a variety of settings and gives a great look at how the vehicle has developed over the past year.

The Model Y may be coming sooner than expected after the vehicle received its certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). This is a huge development as the Model 3’s CARB certification came three and a half weeks before initial deliveries began. The Model Y will be produced in Fremont, but Shanghai will also build the crossover after Tesla announced Gigafactory 3’s plans to manufacture the vehicle. It will also be the main focus of Gigafactory 4 in Berlin when it is completed in July 2021.

Watch Christopher Radoff’s video of the Model Y navigating flawlessly through a snowy mountain road below.

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After completing its fourth flawless orbital-class launch and landing in 16 months, SpaceX’s latest reusable Falcon 9 rocket has successfully returned to dry land and was greeted by a spectacular Florida sunset during its port arrival.

Safely secured aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) by SpaceX’s famous Octagrabber robot, which uses claws its tank-like heft to physically hold the rocket down, Falcon 9 booster B1049 passed through the mouth of Port Canaveral on January 9th. This effectively marked the end of its third drone ship recovery and fourth landing overall since its orbital-class launch debut in September 2018, averaging a SpaceX launch every four months.

B1049.4 supported SpaceX’s second launch of upgraded Starlink v1.0 communications satellites and the 60 spacecraft it helped send to orbit almost certainly catapulted the company into the position of owning the world’s largest private satellite constellation – now measuring some 175 operational spacecraft strong. Those 60 new Starlink satellites have since deployed their solar arrays, performed basic systems checkouts, activated their krypton-fueled ion thrusters, and begun raising their orbits to around 350 km (220 mi). After arriving at 350 km, SpaceX will carefully analyze the performance of each satellite and send all healthy spacecraft to their final operational altitude of 550 km (340 mi).

Teslarati photographer Richard Angle was present for both sides of Falcon 9 B1049’s fourth orbital-class launch and landing, capturing the booster’s January 6th liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 (CCAFS LC-40) and its January 9th Port Canaveral arrival aboard drone ship OCISLY. Given the spectacular Florida sunset that greeted the rocket, B1049 clearly has a preferred color palette – fire.

Falcon 9 B1049 is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines capable of burning liquid oxygen and refined kerosene (RP-1) to produce a maximum thrust of 7600 kN (1.7 million lbf), giving it a thrust to weight ratio of more than 1.4 even when fully loaded with some 525 metric tons (1.2 million lb) of propellant.

According to SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk, Falcon 9’s newest Block 5 boosters – debuted in May 2018 and expected to be the last major upgrade to the family – are designed to be capable of at least 10 orbital-class launches each. A step further, they could potentially be able to perform dozens of missions before retirement is unavoidable, although that would reportedly require the same sort of in-depth overhauls that are routine for modern airliners. Regardless of SpaceX’s aspirations of 10-100 flights per booster, the company is making great progress but undeniably has a long ways to go.

Still, it’s not actually as long as it may seem. On January 6th, Falcon 9 B1049 became the second SpaceX booster to successfully launch four times, following in the footsteps of B1048’s record-breaking fourth flight – completed in November 2019. Now in possession of two consecutively-built Falcon 9 boosters with four flights under each of their belts, SpaceX should be able to quickly determine whether its fleet of reusable rockets can be trusted with four launches (and more).

Additionally, after two months for technicians and engineers to inspect and repair the booster, B1048 could be ready for its fifth launch far sooner than later. SpaceX wrapped up B1049’s fourth post-recovery processing on January 13th – a relatively brisk three and a half days from port arrival to horizontal transport. The booster was moved to one of SpaceX’s many Cape Canaveral hangars, where – just like B1048 – it will be inspected, refurbished, and turned around for its fifth launch sometime in the near future.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

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Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach believes Tesla’s Gigafactory 4 in Grunheide can help bring more businesses to Brandenburg.

Steinbach, who has been key in negotiating with Tesla to build its car factory in the state, expressed his satisfaction following the approval of the Brandenburg State Committee of the Gigafactory 4 sales contract. He also showed his excitement on Tesla’s “magnetic effect” that will benefit the state.

“If you want to be a competitive location, you have to face the challenge. So it’s more about how to deal with expectations in Brandenburg. If we master the challenge, we will be pretty high up in the ranking of German business locations. And that can trigger a magnetic effect and cause other companies to discover Brandenburg on the map,” Steinbach said in an interview with Berliner Morgenpost.

Steinbach also said that Tesla has the full support of the state and hinted that infrastructure will be added as needed to make sure things go smoothly for the Gigafactory in Grunheide.

“If the plant’s capacity is ramped up, another freeway connection can be added north of Freienbrink to avoid bottlenecks. Then more feeder roads are needed, and then we also have to talk about expanding rail capacity. The site has a siding and you will see how many trains have to run there each day,” he said.

Such additional infrastructure will be crucial especially when there will be a lot of movements when operation starts. The Environmental Impact Assessment report for Gigafactory Berlin reveals that there will be 463 trucks going in and out of the factory per day to deliver materials and bring out waste on a worst-case scenario. The study also expects around 2,828 vehicles per shift and Tesla Gigafactory 4 will most likely have three shifts per day. There will also be six trains that will be used to deliver supplies and operating materials, and these trains might also be used to bring finished Model Y and other vehicles out of the facility to other destinations.

Tesla has practically put Brandenburg on the global map when it decided to build the Gigafactory 4 in Grunheide. Since the announcement of CEO Elon Musk of Tesla’s choice of location, the state and federal authorities have poured all-out support to make sure things go smoothly.

The latest statement of Steinbach further shows the symbiotic relationship between the state government of Brandenburg and the electric car manufacturer.

Tesla started clearing trees on the build site and has also been scanning the site for World War II-era bombs. It is also dealing with some challenges such as the need to move a species of endangered bats that are currently hibernating in the expansive forest.

Tesla Gigafactory 4 will roll out 150,000 electric vehicles on its initial phase of production with Tesla Model Y as the top priority to address the demand for SUVs in the region. Production will ramp up to about 500,000 vehicles later on. The car factory will also provide job opportunities to 8,000 people.

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Does preheating your Tesla help when you have freezing rain? Another Tesla owner asked himself that question upon waking up to a completely frozen Model 3 in Ontario, Canada and documented why Tesla owners should preheat or defrost the car during snowy conditions.

Trevor Page, who runs the Tesla Owners Online YouTube channel, shared a video about his experience over the weekend when it rained all day in Toronto and temperatures dropped below zero overnight. He woke up to a Tesla Model 3 frozen charge port, frozen windows, frozen door handles, or practically — a completely frozen Model 3.

Page took the opportunity to put the preheat feature of Tesla in the spotlight. He set up a timelapse camera to see how it will defrost the vehicle. He checked on the car after half an hour but found out that the car’s charge port was still frozen, the windows started to defrost, and the windshield defrosted nicely. After an hour, the Model 3 owner found the car’s roof defrosted and he was also able to open the doors of the car. He was also able to pull out the charger and close the charge port.

“I know some of you are going straight to the comments and say stuff like ‘oh this is a Tesla problem’ and we’d never buy one… matter of fact, Tesla’s are fantastic in the winter but freezing rain is freezing rain. These kinds of problems can happen to any car,” Page said. “Do your pre-heat at least half an hour, maybe up to an hour and just use your phone app to heat it up. I will say that getting into a car that’s nice and warm and the windows defrosted is fantastic and the fact is you can do it in your garage without killing your family in the process.”

Tesla engineered its electric cars so they can be easily operated and remain efficient during the cold months. One can preheat a Tesla by switching on the preconditioning or defrost feature via the Tesla App to melt ice and snow on important surfaces. The system prioritizes specific parts of the car that are crucial to driving in icy conditions.

A previous report where a Tesla owner used a thermal camera showed which parts of the car are heated up. It revealed that the Autopilot camera, as well as the side and rear cameras, were heated to ensure the Tesla car and driver see the environment clearly regardless of the weather. The headlamps, wheels, steering wheel, and wipers were also brought to an optimal temperature.

Tesla also has some snow and ice tips such as repositioning wipers to service position to prevent icing and deactivating mirror auto-fold. The carmaker also reminds owners to make sure that important surfaces are not frozen or covered before heading out for a drive. During cold weather, Tesla recommends to leave the car plugged in so the battery will retain some heat. There’s also the option to use Scheduled Departure to warm the vehicle up.

Check out the video from Tesla Owners Online below and see how Tesla’s preheating or defrosting feature works:

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has officially confirmed that the company’s next Falcon 9 launch will destroy the flight-proven booster and upper stage “in Dragon fire”, a cryptic reference to the ultimate purpose of the sacrifice.

Known as SpaceX’s In-Flight Abort (IFA) test, the mission is designed not to place any particular payload in orbit but to demonstrate that Crew Dragon – the company’s first human-rated spacecraft – can ensure astronaut safety even if faced with a worst-case scenario during launch. IFA will mark Crew Dragon’s second dedicated abort test and second launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, although the mission’s brand-new spacecraft will have to suffice with a suborbital jaunt before hopefully splashing down intact in the Atlantic Ocean.

If everything goes as planned, SpaceX has every intention of reusing the IFA Crew Dragon capsule on a future mission, although it’s unclear what that mission might look like. It’s unlikely that a reused SpaceX spacecraft will fly NASA astronauts anytime soon but it’s possible that the company will refurbish the vehicle for an entirely private astronaut launch or transform it into the first uncrewed launch of a next-generation Cargo Dragon (Dragon 2). Regardless, given the challenges posed by the In-Flight Abort, Crew Dragon’s survival is far from guaranteed.

Given that such an abort scenario is by definition a possibility, it’s likely the case that SpaceX’s engineers are almost certain that Crew Dragon should be able to survive such an ordeal, but the spacecraft will likely be pushed to its limits and it’s often much harder to ensure that everything works as intended at those limits.

In-Flight Abort by the numbers

Formerly scheduled to fly since-destroyed Crew Dragon capsule C201, SpaceX was forced to shuffle its spacecraft scheduling, reassigning Crew Dragon capsule C205 – originally expected to launch SpaceX’s first NASA astronaut mission – to support the In-Flight Abort. Featuring upgrades designed to prevent the failure mode that led to C201’s violent explosion, C205 will now have to survive a series of extremely challenging environments.

The IFA test is designed to prove that Crew Dragon can escape a failing Falcon 9 rocket during the most mechanically stressful point of launch. Occurring around 80-100 seconds after liftoff and known as Max Q, it’s the point where Falcon 9’s velocity and altitude combine to create the most friction and pressure the rocket’s windward parts will experience on their climb to orbit. For Crew Dragon, this means its SuperDraco abort engines will have to work fight upwards against air that is functionally (but not literally) much thicker than it is at other points during flight – a battle that will simultaneously put even more pressure (mechanical stress) on the spacecraft’s surfaces.

Purely from a numerical perspective, the pressure at Max Q is typically around 30-35 kPa (4.5-5 psi), which doesn’t sound like much but can easily become a force to be reckoned with when the surface area of the rocket or spacecraft being impacted is as large as Crew Dragon (let alone Starship). For reference, Crew Dragon capsules likely have a conical surface area on the order of 30,000 square inches (~19 m²), meaning that the spacecraft is subjected to a total mechanical load of 50-60 metric tons (~130,000 lbf) at Max Q.

Traveling as fast as Mach 2.5 (860 m/s) at an altitude of 28 kilometers (17 mi) at the point where Crew Dragon will ignite its abort thrusters and attempt to escape, that very act of escape will likely magnify the mechanical stresses on the capsule even further. During Crew Dragon’s 2015 Pad Abort, for example, the spacecraft went from a standstill to 155 m/s (345 mph) in 7 seconds – an average acceleration of about 2.3 Gs. Crew Dragon C205 could thus find itself traveling almost Mach 3 (more than a kilometer per second) just seconds after separating and may ultimately reach a peak altitude of almost 75 km (45 mi).

This is all to simply say that Crew Dragon is going to be subjected to an array of varying extremes in a very short period of time, during and after which it must still successfully control its orientation, avoid tumbling, detach its trunk section, and deploy a series of parachutes to achieve a fully-successful test. Additionally, the In-Flight Abort test will see Crew Dragon launch on an almost orbit-worthy Falcon 9 upper stage (lacking only a functional Merlin Vacuum engine) and thrice-flown booster B1046.

According to CEO Elon Musk, it simply is not going to be possible to prevent the historic booster – the first Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket ever launched – from being destroyed shortly after Crew Dragon attempts its escape. Once Dragon departs Falcon 9, the upper stage will likely be torn to shreds by the supersonic airstream suddenly buffeting it, ultimately exposing Falcon 9 B1046’s unchanged interstage – effectively a giant, open cylinder closed at its base.

Likely still travel supersonic, the results of the airstream entering Falcon 9’s interstage and finding no exit will likely be akin to a glass cup smashing mouth-first into a brick wall with a bowling ball taped to its bottom. Thankfully, Falcon 9 B1046 has already successfully supported three orbital-class launches since it debuted in May 2018, completing its third flight just seven months later. The booster will be missed and the opportunity cost (at least several more orbital-class launches) is definitely non-zero, but its sacrifice sill be for a good reason.

As Musk notes, if the In-Flight Abort goes as planned, it could pave the way for Crew Dragon’s first NASA astronaut launch – known as Demo-2 – as few as 6-8 weeks later. For now, Crew Dragon’s IFA test is scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) January 18th, likely around 8 am EST (13:00 UTC).

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

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A leaked email from Tesla reportedly sent to reservation holders of the Semi has revealed that the electric car maker will begin limited production phase of the highly-anticipated all-electric truck in the second half of 2020.

A leaked email from Tesla reportedly sent to reservation holders of the Semi has revealed that the electric car maker will begin limited production phase of the highly-anticipated all-electric truck in the second half of 2020.

While this is later than the Tesla Semi’s originally anticipated release date of late 2019, it may be worth it. The company has been developing the sustainable tractor-trailer since November 2017 after its unveiling event. Judging by Tesla’s ability to continuously improve its products over time, it is safe to assume the Silicon Valley-based electric car maker will make the Semi better than anyone anticipated once handovers of the vehicle begin.

Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen was a guest on Ryan McCaffrey’s Ride the Lightning podcast in October and stated the next-generation Tesla Roadster would be “better in every way” than its initially-announced specs. He went on to add that the vehicle simply needed more time and Tesla was working on evolving the vehicle beyond anybody’s expectations. It seems the Semi may be undergoing the same treatment.

Upon its unveiling, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated the Semi would be powered by four motors that were based on the ones that power the Model 3. Two variants of the truck provide drivers 300 or 500 miles of range per charge, though Musk mentioned during the Q1 2018 earnings call that the Semi’s range would be closer to 600 miles of range instead. “Even if we didn’t improve our battery technology at all, we could achieve a 500-mile range truck. We’re gonna do better than 500 miles,” Musk said.

The Semi has the potential to become one of Tesla’s best vehicles hands down. The Semi was led personally by Jerome Guillen before he was promoted as Tesla’s Auto President. Guillen was at one time Daimler’s head of Business Innovation and was in charge of a sector of the company’s semi program. With this in mind, the Semi may very well be one of Tesla’s most refined vehicles upon its release.

Tesla has an opportunity to disrupt the entire trucking industry with the Semi. The trucking segment in the United States is huge and it is just another sector of the automotive market Tesla will get involved in. A number of large companies have already placed pre-orders on the Semi, including Frito Lay who intends to use the tractor-trailer to reduce its carbon footprint.

In true Tesla fashion, he Semi is loaded to the teeth with tech. Thanks to its four all-electric motors, the vehicle can perform 0-60 mph runs in 5 seconds flat without a trailer. Even with a full trailer, the Semi can hit highway speeds at about 20 seconds, far quicker than a diesel-powered truck. These all-electric qualities also prevent the Semi from jackknifing, preventing thousands of potential accidents every year.

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A few dozen residents from Grünheide near Berlin recently organized a gathering known as a “Forest Walk” to protest against Tesla’s current tree removal activities at the European Gigafactory 4 complex’s site. Fifty Grünheide locals attended the protest, gathering around lunchtime hour on January 12, according to a report from rbb24.de.

Protesters were spotted in yellow safety vests replicating the infamous “Yellow Vest Movement” in France. The protesters requested the preservation of the forest while speaking of a lack of public recognition. According to the protesters, they were not asked about the project and were worried about the potential contamination of drinking water due to the activities on the site.

The protesters recognized themselves as apart of a group known as NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union). “I think every citizen here has his own topic. For some, it is nature and the forest or people. The factory will also emit pollutants that pollute the region,” Spokesperson Nadine Rothmaier said to local reporters.

While construction of the new plant will cause the emittance of some pollutants, it is simply impossible to avoid this scenario. It should also be noted that Tesla will be planting three times as many trees as they cut down in areas surrounding Grünheide.

The company also released an Environmental Impact Report in early January that stated they were planning to relocate numerous species of animals to avoid harming them. The company also plans to accelerate the initial deforestation activities in the area so as not to interrupt bird breeding that begins in early March.

Another member of the group voiced their concerns about the already difficult task of providing enough clean drinking water to the town. “If a huge consumer is now added by Tesla, it will be even more difficult,” Steffen Schorcht stated. Tesla has been looking for numerous providers of clean drinking water for the site as the company has recognized the local sources will simply not be enough.

Another resident mentioned concerns about forest fires. Tesla will have to use underground water pumps to remove groundwater from the site. The resident stated that if Tesla removes this water, the forest will become too dry and could easily catch fire.

Some members of the protest group stated they will be returning next Saturday on January 18 to resume demonstrations and may begin to take legal action against the company. “We will also raise objections to Tesla’s environmental impact assessment in the normal legal way,” Schorcht stated.

Tesla began the process of cutting down the trees from the property on January 6 and plans to have the entire process completed by February 27. While Tesla has stated they plan to replace the trees, local environmentalist groups state the company many have trouble finding sufficient land to plant the replacements because some of the surrounding areas may not be suitable.

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